During his first term, Trump had already suggested that NATO members should boost their defense spending to 4 percent of GDP. A NATO report in June showed that a record 23 member countries out of 32 were hitting the alliance’s 2 percent target for defense spending. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has partially sided with Trump … Read more
Assurances of continued military support are especially critical for Ukraine now with Trump’s imminent return to Washington. The president-elect has made clear that his administration will expect Europe to take the lead in supporting Ukraine’s defense and oversee any future cease-fire deal between Kyiv and Moscow, a stark contrast to current President Joe Biden’s position. … Read more
“The Russians include them in combined units and use them in operations in the Kursk region,” Zelenskyy said. He also pointed to “information suggesting their use could extend to other parts of the front line.” In August, Ukrainian forces pushed into Russia’s western Kursk region, seeking to hold the area as a bargaining chip for … Read more
“It is true that we spend more on defense now than we did a decade ago,” said Rutte. “But we are still spending far less than during the Cold War. Even though the threats to our freedom and security are just as big — if not bigger.” “During the Cold War, Europeans spent far more … Read more
“That’s what we need to do first, and then Ukraine can get back the other parts of its territory in a diplomatic way,” the Ukrainian leader said. Zelenskyy suggested that such an arrangement could be the basis for a cease-fire deal with Moscow. But he stressed that NATO membership needs to be offered to the … Read more
It comes amid rising fears among European countries over Trump’s impact on the alliance, given his previous comments questioning the value of NATO and threatening not to defend members who don’t pay enough into the organization. Rutte, who formally became NATO’s secretary-general in October, also met with U.S. Congressman Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national … Read more
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk plans meetings with leaders from the EU, the U.K. and NATO to discuss the situation in Ukraine after Donald Trump’s election victory in the United States. Tusk said that he would host meetings in Warsaw with French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte, while a meeting with British … Read more
Der Kanzler lädt zum Industrie-Gipfel, und zeitgleich empfängt der Finanzminister die Familienunternehmer und den Mittelstand. Was heute normales, aktuelles politisches Geschäft sein könnte, ist Ausdruck weiterer Ampel-Streitereien. Denn abgestimmt haben sich Olaf Scholz und Christian Lindner nicht. Wie sich beide immer weiter entfremden und voneinander entfernen, analysiert Gordon Repinski. Nach dem Bekanntwerden umfassender Spar- und … Read more
BRUSSELS — North Korean soldiers assisting Moscow have been deployed to Kursk, the Russian area controlled by Ukrainian troops, NATO chief Mark Rutte said Monday. “I can confirm that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and that North Korean military units have been deployed to the Kursk region,” Rutte told reporters, soon after … Read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on global allies not to “shy away” from responding to reports that Pyongyang is supplying troops to help Russia wage war on Ukraine, saying late Tuesday that intelligence suggests up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers are currently training for deployment. “We have information that two units of military personnel from … Read more
